The Legend of Zelda: Vaati's Revenge
by Dark Maiden95
Summary: Six months after Link became one with his clones, trouble stirs again in Hyrule. Vaati has escaped his prison yet again, but this quest will be much more difficult as he tries to capture the four Links one by one. Rated for torture and some horror themes. UP FOR ADOPTION!
1. Prologue: The Winds of Darkness

A few words before we begin.

As promised, here is the new-and-WAY improved (if I do say so myself) Vaati's Revenge. Since this kind of threw people for a loop last time, I am still making Shadow Link a villain for three reasons. One, in every Zelda game that he's appeared in, he's been a villain; two, he was a main villain throughout most of the Four Swords manga; and third (and I can't stress enough how key this point is) because I simply like him much better as a villain. I'm not trying to upset those who see him as another hero, this is just my view on this. If you like to write about Shadow being a hero, more power to you, I respect that. Just don't try to force it on me. Just to clear this up now, there will be NO yaoi in the story.

Alright, I'm done ranting. Enjoy the story (and don't forget to review!)

Prologue: The Winds of Darkness

The night sky. A gigantic bluish-black blanket with tiny diamonds woven in. With the soft green grass rustling quietly beneath him and around him, Link sighed deeply, releasing every care that he'd ever had. Sometimes he would fall asleep and wake up the next morning soaked with the morning dew while birds chirped above him. It was nights like this that he loved: a cool breeze, a clear sky, it was so peaceful that it made it hard to remember that only months before he'd fought two of the greatest evils that had ever plagued the land of Hyrule. Vaati the demonic wind mage, and Ganon, an evil pig-like giant. But nothing could completely distract him from those who had aided him during the quest. In order to rescue the kidnapped Princess Zelda, Link had been forced to draw the Four Sword from its sacred pedestal, but in doing so, he had released Vaati and all his monsters. Upon drawing the blade, Link's body had split into four, each sporting a different colored tunic and a different part of the original Link's personality.

Green – the original Link. Green had kept every aspect of his personality. Aggressive, motivated, and determined but always willing to go out of his way to help those in need. Before drawing the sword, Green had been a one-man team but during his adventure, he'd learned how important it was to work as a team.

Red – the happy, optimistic Link. Always innocent and cheerful, Red always managed to cheer his allies up when things looked bleakest (although he was a bit oversensitive and cried easily.) There were many times when the Blue Link would pick fights with Red (as well as Green) but in the end, it was clear that they all cared deeply about one another.

Blue – the short-tempered, overconfident side. Especially at first, Blue would argue and fight with Green, even demanding that they switch tunics and make him be the main hero, and he would often get physically violent with his Red counterpart. But deep down, Blue's heart was as gold as his hair, refusing to tolerate treachery of any kind towards those he cared for and risking his own life on multiple occasions to save his friends.

Vio – the most collected of the four. Vio was calm, intelligent, and at times, mysterious. In the beginning, he had looked down upon his clones somewhat. But after a boating accident had thrown the Links far from each other, it appeared that Shadow Link had brainwashed Vio into believing that the darkness could give him much more than his companions could. As it turned out though, Vio had tricked Shadow Link and operated undercover to learn how to destroy the darkness, putting himself in mortal danger in doing so. After he'd been rescued from drowning in the lava of Death Mountain, Vio revealed that he had learned that wisdom and brains were very different, and that his love for his brothers was more important than anything.

Brothers. Tears came to Link's – no - Green's ocean-colored eyes as he realized what his companions had truly been to him. They weren't just mere clones. The very thought was an insult. Those three had cared for and supported him (not to mention drove him up a wall) just like family, and not a day went by that Green didn't miss them with all his heart.

Closing his eyes, Green let his memories consume him, barely noticing a strangely strong gust of wind.

~.~.~.~.~

Deep within a hidden region of Hyrule Castle lay the Four Sword Sanctuary. At the very end of the long corridor in a stone pedestal stood the mighty Four Sword itself. For six months it had remained undisturbed, sealing away the wind mage in his prison in another dimension.

~.~.~.~.~

"Cursed brat," a man whispered to himself angrily. He had pale skin with a slight purple tint, lavender hair past his shoulders, wore a black tunic and cape (which was blowing in some non-existent breeze along with his hair), a black cap with a large ruby in the middle that matched his eyes perfectly. Under his right eye was a strange scar.

"To think that I, Vaati, the greatest sorcerer of all time was defeated by those worms! But not for long," Vaati's face melted into a smirk as a glowing red stone appeared between his hands, levitating as the hypnotic aura surrounding it cast a red shade onto the mage's body.

"I have finally completed the necessary Ruby of Shadows. With this, I can control whatever I wish. And soon, when I escape this forsaken realm of nothingness . . ." the glow grew blinding as its reach suddenly extended, "the four heroes shall belong to me!" As Vaati vanished from the realm, a loud sadistic cackle rang eerily throughout the sanctuary.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Well, any better at all?


	2. Chapter One: Shadowy Winds

Chapter One: Shadowy Winds

"_Link . . . Link . . ."_

Green groaned at the sound of a girl's voice.

_Not now_, he thought, trying to drown the sound out, _five more minutes_. But it was too late; he had woken up too much to fall back asleep. Mentally cursing in defeat, Green slowly opened his blue eyes, blinking away the remaining sleepiness. At that moment, apparently taking matters into her own hands, a young girl with long blonde hair leaned very close to his face, causing Green to cry out in surprise, shooting up like a rocket as he did so.

"Whoa!" His face was full of startled panic, but it quickly melted into a happy sort of annoyance as the sound of giggling reached his ears. "Give me a break, Zelda!"

"Link, you're so lazy!" Princess Zelda playfully scolded as her laughs died down. "I wanted to go to the Picori Festival with you, and here you are snoozing in the field! You're soaking wet, too!"

Green looked down at himself; sure enough, he had let himself fall asleep outside his house _again_, and was covered from head to toe in dew. Then, it hit him.

"The Picori Festival? That was _today_?"

Zelda nodded. "Let's go!"

"Uh, okay." Green slowly stood up, but Zelda could tell that something was bothering him.

"What's wrong, Link? You seem kind of sad," she clarified at his confused expression.

"Oh, it's . . . nothing, Princess."

"It's the other Links, isn't it? You miss them."

No reply from the green-clad warrior. There was little Zelda could do to ease his loneliness, this she knew, but she gently wrapped her arms around him and embraced him, which he promptly returned. The Hylian princess could almost feel his anguish in her own heart..As the two pulled apart, Green gazed deeply into the sapphire eyes of Princess Zelda, so similar to his own. With a grateful smile, he brushed some stray blonde locks out of Zelda's eyes.

"Come on, let's go to the festival."

~.~.~.~.~

Castle Town was rarely this lively. It seemed that every person in Hyrule had come for the celebration. Many different races were present as well. Gorons from Death Mountain, Zoras from Lake Hylia, even a few Deku Scrubs had braved the sunlight and come from the Lost Woods. Green's spirits were raised the moment they arrived. All around them, people were singing, dancing, playing games, a few older citizens were telling stories to young children.

"Long, long ago," Green overheard an elderly woman, "and even longer before that! Evil creatures roamed our great kingdom of Hyrule in search of limitless power. But one day, the tiny Picori appeared from the sky, bestowing a magical sword to the hero of mankind. Using that sword, the hero drove away the darkness and Hyrule knew peace once more. They say that within Hyrule Castle, there is a door to the Picori World that will only open once every century. Remember, little ones, the Picori will only show themselves to good children, so behave yourselves! That is the end, off you go!"

As the woman cheerfully shooed the children away, Green remembered the story his father had often told him of his ancestor, the one who had defeated Vaati nearly three centuries earlier. Vaati had turned Princess Zelda (the ancestor of the Zelda he knew) to stone. To bring her back to life, Green's ancestor had collected the four Royal Jewels to restore the broken Four Sword, sealed Vaati, and returned the princess to normal. Green's father had also told him that his ancestor and the princess had been deeply in love, but the king had forbidden them to marry, despite their childhood friendship.

Many of Green's ancestors (starting with the Hero of Time himself) had been named Link, and the name had been passed on through the generations, similar to Princess Zelda's namesake. The previous Links had all seemed to be in love with the Zelda of their respective times.

Green wondered if it ran in the family.

"Link?"

Green jumped, startled when Zelda brought him out of his thoughts.

"Come with me, I wanna try that." Green followed her gloved finger to a lottery corner.

"Come one, come all! Try your luck, you might win a prize," the vendor cried out, ringing his bell. When they reached the stall, Green examined the prizes. There was a giant red rupee (worth two-hundred), a large heart-shaped stone, a blue ocarina, and a small, but sturdy-looking shield. The shield depicted the Hylian Eagle holding the Triforce above its wings.

"We have a winner," the vendor bellowed happily, attracting a bit of a crowd. People pushed past others, anxious to see if they had won. "Congratulations, Princess Zelda! You're the winner!" Her eyes widened in surprise at this.

"M-me?"

"That's right! Now step right up and claim your prize!"

Zelda stepped to the front of the crowd and pondered her choices, ignoring the attempts of the crowd to sway her towards one particular item ("Get the jewel, princess!" "No, the heart stone is much cuter!" "I'm sure you'd sound lovely on the ocarina, your highness!") Zelda smiled when her eyes finally landed on the best one.

"I want this."

The vendor made no attempt to hide his shock. "Really, Princess? Are you sure? What about this jewel, it's beautiful! Or you could use this heart-shaped stone to decorate your room at the castle! Do you really want that ugly thing?"

"Yes I do," Zelda declared happily.

"All right then. Congratulations again, your highness."

_I wonder what she picked_, Green wondered, having been pushed back by the crowd. When the princess finally approached, she was holding something out towards him.

"I want you to have this shield," Zelda said with a kind smile. "I know yours is almost destroyed from training with the knights, so I thought you might like a new one."

"Thank you, Zelda," Green replied taking it carefully into his hands and strapping it onto his back with his sword.

"It's getting late," Zelda observed. Indeed, the sky was beginning to turn pink with a hint of orange. "Why don't we go watch the last of the sword-fighting competition before you go home?"

~.~.~.~.~

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, the final match! This round features our three-time champion Dalsun versus the mystery kid!"

Green looked to the side of the larger competitor and saw a boy in a dark gray cloak. His eyes were completely hidden and his skin was very pale. There was something . . . a little off about him, Green thought. He seemed familiar somehow – extremely familiar.

"Let the match . . . BEGIN!"

It didn't last long at all. The kid struck his opponent down before he'd even drawn his weapon. Turning to the stunned audience, he gave them what was clearly a smirk under that hood. Green's muscles tensed in anticipation, instinctively beginning to reach for his sword.

"Heh heh . . ." The boy's voice sounded almost exactly like Green's, only with evil dripping from it like a melting popsicle. He pointed a pale finger at the people and an incredibly powerful gust of wind tore through the stadium. Screams of terror could be heard as people fled for their lives – only to be attacked by various monsters. Poes, dragons, Hinoxes, and many others attacked all those unfortunate enough to fall within their reach. Green managed to fight off many of these creatures, but as he slayed the last one, the boy's voice whispered in his ear.

"He's coming for you, Green . . . _all_ of you."

Green looked for the voice's owner, knowing full well who it was. But all he saw in the darkness of the sudden nightfall covered by billowing dark clouds was Princess Zelda.

"Come on, Link," she told him. "You know what you have to do."

~.~.~.~.~

Green looked around the Four Sword Sanctuary as he followed Zelda down the stone pathway. The walls, while still standing, had obvious signs of damage. Parts of the ground had been charred and torn up, but the blade itself was untouched. Without thinking, Green reached for the hilt to pull the sword out, but stopped himself.

"Princess . . ." he tried to protest. If he pulled the blade out, Vaati would be released again.

"Just do it, Link. Trust me."

Placing both hands on the hilt of the sword, Green pulled with all his might, being swallowed by a blinding white light. All of a sudden, he noticed a powerful weakness throughout his body. He couldn't remember being this tired in his life; he could barely stand.

The last thing Green was aware of was a faint voice calling his name – followed by three other voices very similar to his own. Then, he knew nothing but blackness.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Just to state the obvious, I don't own any of the characters, just an OC or two that may pop up here and there.

Yeah, this chapter was pretty rushed, but I think it's not bad overall. I _really_ appreciate reviews, so drop one by on your way out!


	3. Chapter Two: Warning from the Shadows

Chapter Two: Warning from the Shadows

Green stirred and groaned as he opened his eyes. He tried to sit up, but found it difficult because his hands were bound tightly behind his back and his arms were secured to his side. All around him were chains connected to empty shackles, a couple of torture devices that looked as though they hadn't been used for ages, and moss in various areas of the damp stone floor and walls. As his eyes reached the wall opposite him, Green cried out in horror.

There against the wall, lay his three brothers, all bound in the same fashion as him, and all unconscious. Dark blood had stained parts of their tunics. It was difficult for Green to tell for sure, but it seemed to be coming from their left hands. It looked as though they'd been horribly tortured.

"_At last,"_ a disembodied male voice echoed through the room, _"the final piece is mine!"_ An ominous wind picked up in front of Green as a figure appeared. It was difficult to make out any features, but he seemed to have pale purple skin and a strange scar under one eye. Frightened, Green tried to back up, but quickly realized that he was already as far back as he could go.

"Who are you," Green demanded, "what have you done to my brothers?"

Ignoring his questions, the man reached behind Green and felt his left hand.

"Give it to me, Green," he whispered. "Give it to me, or watch your brothers _die_." Looking past the man, Green saw that three other figures had appeared. They all looked the same: black tunics and pale skin, but it was impossible to determine much else. Each had grabbed a different colored Link, allowing him to rest against his captor's chest as a sword was held against them.

_No,_ Green couldn't even think clearly. _How can I . . .?_ His thoughts were interrupted when an indescribable pain tore through his entire body. His blood was boiling, his bones on fire, his heart being ripped apart.

"No, stop! Please!" The warrior pleaded with his captors, only extracting chuckles. Green had not noticed that a fourth identical boy had come up behind him and held him.

"Give us the final piece, Green, and it will all stop." The boy's voice was frighteningly similar to Green and his brothers', but it dripped with pure evil. Green turned his head just enough to catch a glimpse of his face. Most of it was hidden in shadow, but he could see very pale skin and one glowing red eye. He swore he saw small fangs in the boy's mouth too.

"I see. Perhaps we must simply . . . force it from him." The first figure shrugged in an uncaring tone of voice and turned to the other three boys. Green froze with horror at the next two words:

"Kill them."

"NO!" Green tried to lunge at the shadowy boys only to be grabbed by his guard. His pale hand clamped over the green warrior's mouth as he was forced to watch the horrible scene.

First was Red. He seemed to be regaining consciousness, as he was stirring and quietly groaning. He barely had time to cry out in fear as the dark clone sent his sword straight through his chest. Green burst into tears behind his captor's hand and tried to turn his head, but the boy simply yanked it back, forcing him to keep his eyes glued to his brothers as Blue and Vio were murdered in the same fashion. As the life in Vio's sapphire eyes slowly drained, Green was thrown violently to the floor. As his shadowy look-a-like held him down by the shoulders (and shook him for some strange reason), the older man loomed over him. In his hand, a dark ball of magic appeared.

"Good-bye, hero."

Green's screams of terror could be heard throughout all of Hyrule.

~.~.~.~.~

"He won't wake up! I'm shaking him, but he keeps screaming!"

That voice was awfully familiar . . .

"Oh get out of the way, Red," another identical voice barked as its owner shook even harder. "Green! Wake up!"

Finally Green managed to open his eyes, groaning. His vision was very blurry at first, but as it came into focus, Green saw three faces almost exactly like his own (except for the eyes, they all looked slightly different) completely overcome with worry.

"Green!" His red-clad brother lunged at him, crushing him in a hug.

"R-Red!" Green cried out happily as he realized who was surrounding him. "Blue, Vio!" He reached out and expanded the hug to them as well. "I missed you all so much! But . . . what happened . . . when I drew the Four Sword out?"

"You fainted, Green," Vio answered, sounding just as confused as his brother. "But we're not sure why. Zelda might know."

At that moment, the princess walked into the bedroom the four heroes were in. "Oh, Green, thank goodness!" She hurried over and embraced him tenderly.

"Zelda, do you know why I fainted?" Green asked, a slight quiver in his voice. That nightmare hadn't left his head yet.

"My guess would be that you exhausted yourself fighting all those monsters. Then the strain of splitting into four was just too much for your body to handle at the time. I'm so sorry, I should have let you rest first." Before Green could console the princess, Red piped up.

"Green, why were you screaming in your sleep? I know you probably were having a nightmare, but you were crying too! It couldn't have been just an ordinary one . . ."

"Well . . ." Green hesitated. He really didn't want to talk about it, but he knew he would have to sooner or later. All four of the room's other occupants looked on with concerned interest. "You're right Red, it was a nightmare. A REALLY bad one. All four of us had been kidnapped and when I woke up in the dream, you guys were covered in blood, especially your left hands."

Upon hearing this, the other Links examined said left hands, to find them without one scratch, the Triforce of Courage (passed down since the Hero of Time) glowed very softly.

"Then, a strange wind blew and a man appeared in front of me. Four boys who looked just like us appeared behind all of you and me. The man said that if I didn't give him 'the final piece', you guys would die."

"What did this guy look like?" Blue asked. Green shook his head.

"I don't know. It was too dark to see much. But I could see that he had light purple skin and a weird scar on his face."

The others exchanged glances. Nobody recognized the description.

"The boy behind me started torturing me. It was more pain than I'd ever felt before, hence the screaming." Green's eyes began to water as he recalled the still-vivid nightmare. "Then I was forced to watch the other shadow boys kill you guys. I woke up right before the man killed me." Tears silently painted trails down Green's face as he ended the story. Embarrassed, he wiped them away with his black sleeve. "I'm sorry, guys. I just don't think I could stand it if I lost you."

"Hey, what are brothers for?" Blue winked and sat next to his distressed sibling and wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "You won't get rid of us that easily."

"So, Princess, what's happening?" Vio asked. "Before Green drew the Four Sword, that Shadow Link's voice whispered that he was coming for all of us. What could that mean?"

"I'm not sure," Zelda replied sadly. "He might mean that Vaati has escaped again and is going to try and exact revenge on you. While Green was unconscious, I went back to the sanctuary and the Royal Jewels are missing!"

"What? How are we supposed to reach the Tower of Winds?" Red cried out.

"The seven medallions should work just as well. The Hero of Time collected six of them as he awakened the five sages. Water, Fire, Forest, Light, Shadow, Spirit, and Wind."

"Wait, Wind?" Blue asked, confused. Zelda nodded.

"The seventh medallion was the most well-hidden, and least known. It harnesses the power of wind, similar to the green jewel. Its legend has been passed down by the Wind Tribe for ages. But there are only a few members left today."

"Where should we start looking?" Green asked.

"Lake Hylia is close by. Maybe we should try the Water Temple first," Vio suggested. Zelda nodded.

"It's late though, and Green still needs to rest. Why don't you stay here tonight?"

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Well, how is it? PLEASE review!


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